KEIFER POV —
I reached her villa earlier than planned.
The sky was still undecided—blue bleeding slowly into gold, the kind of hour that felt like a secret between the sun and the sea. I'd changed twice already before settling on white. Linen. Simple. Summer-soft. Not armor. Not a suit.
Today wasn't about control.
It was about truth.
When Jay stepped out, the breath left my lungs like it had been punched out of me.
White dress. Light. Flowing. Beachy in the way that made her look like she belonged to the horizon itself. The fabric moved with her like it already knew the wind would love it. Bare skin warmed by the early sun, hair loose, face still soft with sleep.
She looked… unreal.
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She glanced behind her briefly. "Cole and Celeste aren't home."
I shrugged casually, heart doing absolutely nothing casual inside my chest.
"They're probably out."
She didn't question it. Just smiled and walked toward me.
God help me—I loved how she trusted me.
The drive was quiet. Not awkward. Comfortable. The kind of silence that didn't need filling because it already meant something. The city slowly gave way to open road, to salt in the air, to that endless stretch where the ocean waited like it had been holding its breath.
When we reached the beach, it was empty.
No tourists. No noise.
Just waves breathing in and out. The sand untouched. The sun beginning its slow climb, painting everything soft gold and pale pink.
I parked.
"Okay," she said lightly. "You're being suspicious."
I smiled and reached into the back seat.
"Trust me."
Her eyebrows knit together. "Keifer—"
I gently tied the blindfold over her eyes.
She laughed, half-protest, half-curiosity. "Why are you doing this?"
"Because," I said quietly, voice steady even as my pulse tried to escape my chest, "I want you to feel this before you see it."
She paused.
Then nodded.
I took her hand.
Guided her across the sand slowly, carefully, counting each step like it mattered—because it did. Every single one.
As we rounded the corner, I saw them.
Everyone.
Section E spread out along the sides, deliberately quiet for once. Felix biting his lip to keep from grinning. Cin pretending to be cool. Yuri standing still like he understood the gravity of the moment. Rory wiping his face already. Kit's hands shoved into his pockets like he needed grounding.
Cole stood beside Celeste, arm around her shoulders, eyes warm. Proud.
Angelo and Aries were there too—watchful, protective, family in every way that mattered.
I stopped Jay gently.
"Stay here," I whispered. "Don't move."
She squeezed my hand. "Okay."
I walked away from her.
Each step toward the center felt like crossing six years of distance. Regret. Growth. Becoming someone who could stand here without fear.
The setup was exactly how I'd imagined it—soft fabric billowing lightly, petals scattered like the beach itself had bloomed overnight. A simple arch. Candles nestled safely in glass. And behind it all, the sea.
Endless.
Patient.
Celeste nodded.
She reached for Jay.
And pulled the blindfold away.
---
JAY POV — THE MOMENT EVERYTHING TURNED REAL
Light.
That was the first thing.
Not blinding—warm.
Petals under my feet. White and blush and gold. A soft Marry Me sign glowing gently like it had always been waiting for me to read it.
The ocean.
The sunrise.
And people.
Everyone.
My breath caught sharply in my chest.
Hands flew to my mouth without permission as tears blurred the world into something unreal and impossibly beautiful. My heart felt like it was trying to break free—too big, too full.
And then I saw him.
Keifer.
Standing at the center of it all.
White against gold. Calm. Steady. Eyes locked on me like nothing else existed.
I took one step.
Then another.
The sand felt unreal beneath my feet. My vision blurred completely now, tears spilling freely as the sun climbed higher, casting a halo around him like the universe was showing off.
I stopped in front of him.
And he smiled.
The kind of smile that wasn't charming.
The kind that was honest.
---
KEIFER POV — THE QUESTION I'VE BEEN ANSWERING ALL ALONG
She was crying.
God—she was crying.
Every instinct in me screamed to pull her into my arms, to wipe the tears away, to promise her safety before she ever had to ask.
But this—
This mattered.
I dropped to one knee.
The world went very, very quiet.
"Jay," I said, voice steady only because my heart refused to let me fail now. "You once told me I didn't know how to stay."
A soft laugh trembled out of her through her tears.
"You were right."
I took a breath.
"But here's what I learned—loving you was never the hard part. Leaving was."
I reached into my pocket and pulled out the ring.
"Six years ago," I continued, "I had this made in London. I wasn't brave enough then. I thought love meant protection through distance."
I shook my head slightly. "I was wrong."
Her lips parted, trembling.
"Love," I said, eyes never leaving hers, "is choosing to stand in front of the fear instead of pretending it doesn't exist."
A few soft laughs broke out behind us. Felix—definitely Felix.
I smirked faintly. "You're stubborn. You're reckless with your heart. You love too hard and forgive too deeply. You make coffee wrong and steal blankets like it's warfare."
She laughed through her tears now.
"And somehow," I said quietly, "you still chose me."
I opened the ring box fully.
"I don't want a life where I survive without you anymore. I want the mornings. The fights. The healing. The future."
The sun crested the horizon fully then—one clean ray of gold spilling over us like a blessing.
"Jay—Jasper Jean Mariano," I said, voice finally breaking, "will you marry me?"
For half a second, the world stopped.
Then—
"Yes," she breathed.
Louder. "Yes."
I slid the ring onto her finger.
Perfect fit.
Like it had always belonged there.
I stood, cupped her face, and kissed her—slow, reverent, real.
Cheers exploded around us. Shouts. Whistles. Absolute chaos.
But I barely heard it.
Because all I could feel was her—arms around my neck, forehead pressed to mine, tears warm against my skin.
As the sun rose fully behind us, painting the sky with promise, I held her close and knew—
This wasn't the start of our love.
It was the beginning of the life we fought to reach.
And this time—
The universe didn't stand a chance....
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
HEYYY CUTIEEEE READERS.....
"GUESS WHO'S BACK, BACK AGAIN...
SHADY'S BACK HEHEHEHEHE😆😆"
Anywayysss yess so i am officially backkk you allll I misseddd you alll so muchhhh ahhhhh it was killing me to eb away from writing butt ahhh....
So yeah today was the EXAM it went great and for readers who are thinking yes it was JEE.... I am a proud JEE aspirant 🥲😭☠️
Anywaysss I am back and I'll give you one more chapter so brace yourself any special request will be considered in how you want the wedding scenes the Bachelorette party😝😏....
I loveeeeeeeeeeee you all veryyy muchhhh😘😘😘😘💗💗💗💗
~nsaw